Emeka Esogbue

 Ani Gaa Tu Waa: The Universal Curse of the Anioma People Emeka Esogbue ​One specific phrasal curse distinguishes the Anioma people from their neighbours: "Ani ga tui" or "Ani gaa tu wa." Growing up, I frequently heard this expression used as a sharp rebuke. At the time, I assumed it was a local Ibusa (Igbuzo) quirk, only to later discover that its reach extends deep into the Ika region. ​The phrase is often the ultimate recourse for the wronged. Imagine a petty thief caught in the act or fleeing after a successful heist; a victimized elderly woman might cry out in anguish, "Ani gaa tu gbu we o!" ​I was recently surprised to learn how deeply rooted this is among the Ukwuani people as well. We even hear it immortalized in the lyrics of the famous Ukwuani musician, Chuks Igba, who sings: "Ani gaa tu gbu ndi iwe anyi" (May the earth crush those who hate us). ​Tracing the exact etymological origin of this phrase across Enuani, Ika, and Ndokwa territo...

 The Igbo Had Kings: Igbo Enwe Eze Reconsidered By Emeka Esogbue Beyond its literary interpretation, the phrase "Igbo enwe eze," often translated as "the Igbo have no king, "is more of a cultural expression highlighting the decentralized political structures historically found in many Igbo communities. However, this saying does not mean that monarchies were absent across all Igbo societies, nor does it negate the fact that the Nri Kingdom is a monarchical institution.   In fact, several Igbo societies had monarchs long before the arrival of European colonists, a fact well-documented by Igbo historians. Nri, for instance, is one of Nigeria’s earliest known kingdoms, and its traditional ruler, the Eze Nri is both a sacred and priestly king. The immediate past monarch, Eze Nri Enweleani II Obidiegwu Onyeso, was the 16th in recorded history. According to information available, he has joined his ancestors and a mandatory 7 years interregnum is required for the enthroneme...

  Revisiting the Anioma Traditional Rulers Rejection of their Relocation to the East Central Region: History as a Repetition -        Emeka Esogbue Not many know that in history, the present Niger State, one of the nation’s 36 states in the North Central part of the country was originally intended for the Anioma people of Nigeria. In 1975, there was an agitation for the creation of more states in the country and a group started a rigorous campaign in which they sought to relocate the Anioma people from their Midwestern Region to the East Central to share a geographical space with other Igbo-speaking people but the Anioma traditional rulers rejected their relocation as well as a share of state with people who are not Anioma of the present Delta State. It was a firm decision taken by Anioma traditional rulers which eventually dissuaded the then Head of State, His Excellency Gen Yakubu Gowon from uniting the Anioma people with the Igbos of today’s S...

 Interesting Discourses on Pre-colonial Hausa States and the Neglect by Students - Emeka Esogbue Historians in Nigeria rarely talk about the history of the people living in the northeast and northwest region around Lake Chad and the Hausa states, which are extremely near to Oyo and Benin, two kindred kingdoms in modern-day Southern Nigeria.  It is somewhat unexpected that the southern civilizations of Igbo, Yoruba, Anioma, Benin, and Igala are what typically conjure up images of historical figures on social media. Strangely, professional historians in Nigeria have not done much to direct their attention toward the pre-colonial Hausa cultures that existed before Nigeria was founded.  Students studying history in secondary schools also have a tendency to steer clear of Hausa history. This also extends to university history classes, where aspiring historians have a tendency to gently stray from historical narratives of the Hausa societies.  The tripartite Nigerian ethni...

  THE ANIOMA CIVILIZATIONS AND CULTURAL ADVANCEMENT RE-VISITED By Dr. Emeka Esogbue   Civilization is defined as “the process whereby societies achieve an advanced stage of development and organization.” It is also historically, a civilization a "more advanced" culture, implied contrast to smaller, supposedly less advanced cultures defined by Robert McCormick Adams in his book, "Evolutionary of Urban Society." As it is well known, civilization concentrates power, extending human control over the rest of nature, including over other human beings.     The Anioma civilization enjoys some characteristics that distinguishes them from other Nigerian groups and these characteristics include different languages spoken within the society of the people, traditional forms of government, distinct traditional titles, settlement patterns in which migrations peopling the region are diversely from Igbo (Igbuzo, Isheagu, Ewulu etc), Benin (Ozanogogo etc), Igala (Oko Ogbe...

 The Enuani: Who Are They? - Emeka Esogbue The Enuani people are one of the Anioma subgroups located on the West Niger Bank, Delta State, South-South of Nigeria. The dialect of the people, which is basically Igbo, is indigenously referred to as Enuani. Thus, the people as well as their metamorphic version of language is known as "Enuani." Interestingly, the Igala language is also spoken by the Ebu people.  Although they are known as "Anioma" Today, together with Ika and Ndokwa/Ukwuani, all of who collectively occupy the Delta North District in Delta State, the people had known and identified themselves as "Enuani" long before the arrival of the European missionaries and the evolution of the Anioma name coinage or etymology given social impetus by Chief Denis Osadebay.  The word "Enu-Ani" exists as two words that denote "High" and "Low." It is derived from the topographical nature of the people. Hence, the Enuani are people who...